Galena

Diana told Maggie the last time she saw her to wait for the hunts to be over before coming back to work on her magic. She stated she had a feeling something was coming and wished Maggie a safe travel home. Maggie figured it was Diana taking precautions for the activity happening in Galena, but when the telecom screen appeared between the antennas on the mantle, Maggie knew exactly what Diana meant. She stood at the kitchen doorway listening to the urgent news being broadcasted throughout Len.

“Another member of the Thaumaturgy was confronted this afternoon at residence 46-B4,” the caster began, “The Garzil states that after reading the affiliate her rites they were attacked causing them to retaliate with force.”

Maggie felt her stomach tighten after hearing the resident number.

The newscaster continued, “Identified as Diana Marcs, a former leader of the Thaumaturgy group dismantled over twenty years ago; she-.”

Jace quickly turned to his sister and watched the color drain from her face. She could no longer hear what the newscaster was saying, she could only think about Diana’s warnings about staying safe and that she felt something was coming. This was what was coming and the recent arrests on current Thaumaturgy members.

Suddenly Maggie felt a strong stinging sensation throughout her hands.

She went to the coat rack and pulled her glove down with her back towards Jace and Emma. Her eyes widened at seeing her fingertips filled with magic. She could feel the purple energy in them pulsating. She quickly pulled her glove up and forced out, “I’m going for a walk.”

“Maggie-” Jace stood and went to embrace his sister, but she put her hand up to stop him.

“Do you want me to come?” Emma asked, standing next to Jace.

“I’ll be fine,” Maggie answered, feeling sick to her stomach over Diana; and now becoming worried about what was happening with her magic. “I just need fresh air,” she said, then crossed the room and out the door. She held in everything as she walked. She wanted to scream and cry but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was angry about everyone being taken from her. Especially now when she was so close to controlling her magic.

As she walked, she tried to talk herself out of her anger, thinking about what Diana would tell her to do. Eventually, she found herself in Galena, sitting on a bench. She dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her face. When she looked back up, she saw a pub that she never saw before. She stood up and walked across the road to look in the window.

It was dimly lit inside and only a few people sat at the bar. She looked away from the scene, trying to decide if she wanted to go inside or go back to Kent. She looked down to where the gates were and saw Benzi sitting a few yards away. She gasped and felt her stomach quench; feeling like Diana sent her spirit guide to her. They locked eyes and she instantly felt calmness take over. She looked back at the pub, deciding she would go in.

When she looked back over at Benzi, he was gone.

She pushed the door open and walked through the second door. What she saw inside stopped her from moving. Inside the bar told a different story. There was a band setting up in the back of the room, people sat at tables eating, and a line sat at the bar drinking and laughing. Her eyes grazed past all the faces in the pub, then landed on one person off to the side.

It was Heath and he was alone.

He held his head up, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. His other hand held a glass of whiskey and it was nearing its end. Maggie walked over and sat on the stool next to him. She ordered a drink from the bartender and glanced over at Heath from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure what to say.

Heath spoke after the bartender handed her, her drink. “They had me read her rites… then place the cuffs on her…” Heath let out, staring into his whiskey. “They killed her, Maggie,” he said, turning to her, “and I had to act like I didn’t care.”

Maggie could see in the dim lights that he was holding back tears. She reached over and took his hand. She squeezed it, trying to comfort him. She stared at their hands, thinking about Diana and her fingertips began to sting again. “They said she attacked the Garzil…” she let out, looking up at him.

“Crock of shit,” he spat out, “She surrendered peacefully. It was that bitch of a Commander who made sure she didn’t get properly escorted.” Once his words came out, he shook his head and quickly apologized.

“Did they know you were close with her?”

“Not possible. I’ve never been seen with her in public,” he answered, shooting back his glass and finishing it off. He lifted a finger to the bartender, ordering another drink.

Maggie held onto her glass, thinking back to when she first asked Heath about his men at the diner. She swallowed the lump in her throat and let out, “They’ve seen us, and you said your men would never cross you, but-.”

Heath could hear the panic in her voice and he quickly told her, “According to our records, your magic is nonexistent. Your brother is just as powerless and all you do is run the family bakery with no ties to the Thaumaturgy.”

“They want to buy my shop…” she quietly let out.

“And you destroyed what was inside,” Heath said, locking eyes with her. After another moment, he said, “Now. I would like to forget about this evening if that’s alright with you.” His eyes dropped to her glass then raised to meet her gaze again, “Are you going to drink that?”

Maggie looked down to her glass then brought it to her lips. She swung the liquor back in one swoop and made a face as it burned its way down. She tried not releasing the air she held in, but it forced its way out - giving her goosebumps as she shuddered from the taste.

“I haven’t drank in so many years,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Good, then we’ll have another.”

“First tell me where we are.”

“O’Donnell’s.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s because this is a magical pub.”

“A what?”

“They only allow who they want to see this place. Otherwise it just looks like a plain old bar no Garzil would ever want to enter,” he explained, which made sense to Maggie as to why the view from outside differed from where she sat now. “You leave the same way you came in, which means you’ll be leaving through the front and I will be going through the back,” he finished, pointing to a door down a small hallway in the back of the pub.

“A magic door?” Maggie asked, looking at it. It was just like the door Diana used to go where she needed to undetected. “So, you can access it from anywhere?”

“As long as you know how to call for it.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Well, first you say etsin tapa then avaa ovin jossa ajatukseni komento,” he chanted.

Maggie laughed out, “I am certainly not going to remember that.” She had heard her mother and Diana use this language before, but she was never taught how to use it. She took a sip of her next drink, thinking the words over again, then asked, “What does it all mean?”

Heath smirked and answered, “First, you call in a door. That’s if you don’t have one. Then command where you want it to take you. When you translate it, I think it says, ‘open the door to where my thoughts command’.”

“Why not just say that?”

“Because it doesn’t work that way,” he said, chuckling. “It’s an ancient language. They say Yhden used it to communicate. A long time ago, this was the language the high priest used during Mass.”

“Do you believe in them?” she asked, “Yhden, I mean.”

“I believe we’ve cast them out,” Heath answered, drinking from his glass. “When Garos took his rule, he had all their statues and temples destroyed.”

“Have you ever seen him?”

“No,” Heath answered and chuckled to himself, “They say he’s a man, but I’ve never seen him. Just heard his powerful, hair raising voice.”

“So… he’s like the wizard from Oz?” Maggie giggled, not taking his words seriously.

“Yeah,” Heath said, grinning at her, “but there’s no floating head.”

Maggie giggled again and leaned into Heath’s arm. She felt lightheaded as she laughed. Her choice of liquor was finally hitting her, and she ordered for a new drink to sober up with. When she looked back at Heath, she saw how close they were and leaned away.

Heath watched her reaction and smirked. “Come home with me,” he said, watching her face turn a shade of red.

“My brother will be worried,” Maggie answered, taking a sip from her cup. “And I’m not that kind of girl,” she added, glancing back over at him.

“What do you think I’m asking for?”

“You’re drunk,” was the only thing Maggie could say.

“So?” he said, keeping his eyes on hers. After a few moments of trying to read her, Heath stood up from his stool, saying, “You’re right.” He leaned over, putting a few jewls on the counter, adding, “You’re really something, Maggie Creed.” He waved the bartender a goodbye and turned to walk away.

“Heath-” Maggie said, grabbing his arm, “What does that mean?”

“I want nothing more than just your company,” he answered, then told her goodnight.

Maggie watched him head towards the backdoor. She rushed after him and stood between him and his exit. “You can’t just leave like this,” she told him.

“How is it any different from when you do it?” he asked, dropping his eyes to hers.

She met his gaze and could see the pain behind them. “It just is-” she let out, not knowing how to answer him. “You’re a Knight-” she stumbled to get the words out.

“And if I wasn’t? What then?”

“I- I don’t know…”

He gave her a tight smile and said, “Get home safe.” And with that he stepped around Maggie and went through the door.

Maggie leaned against the wall and slid down as her eyes swelled with tears. She buried her face in her hands and felt them beginning to burn. She held in her sobs and only allowed a few tears to escape down her cheek.

"I can’t do this here,” she told herself, ”I must hold it in and be strong.”

She tried to calm herself down and push the hurt away, but the more she tried, the bigger the burning sensation grew. The stinging was now in her entire hands and working its way up. She pulled her glove down and saw the purple was now past her wrist. She pulled her glove up her arm and told herself to knock it off. She needed to get home.

She stood up, wiped her eyes, and went to the counter to pay. The bartender waved her jewls away, telling her Heath had paid. Hearing this, Maggie felt another strong pain go up her arms. The bartender wished her safe travels and she found herself rushing out of the pub.

When she reached the house, she stared at her reflection in the windows of the front door. What she saw scared her. Two bright stars sat where her eyes were. She blinked rapidly, and the stars disappeared, leaving just the reflection she was supposed to see. Her heart began to race. She knew what that meant, it was the first sign of something she had caused herself by holding in everything. She threw the front door open and ran upstairs before anything else could happen.